August 27, 2014

I've been reading quite a few books recently! Well......quite a few books for me. You may read a new one every day, but I'm not quite up to that speed yet. ;) Anyway! There's been several pretty cute ones and I decided to cover some of them today. So it's mini-review time! :)

Making Marion - I randomly chose this off the "new books" shelf at the library. I liked the cover and the synopsis sounded cute. And it was! Cute I mean. For a fun read for entertainment purposes only, this is the story for you. Very loosely based around the story of Robin Hood and Maid Marion, it combines real time with past memories. While plenty of stories use this model, I did feel the transitions to Marion's past weren't as smooth as I preferred. And there were other moments I would get jarred out of the story and have to try to immerse myself again. So it isn't a perfect story by any means. But cute nonetheless.

Jane Austen in Scarsdale: Or Love, Death, and the SATs - Modeled loosely on my favorite Austen story, Persuasion, of course I had to pick it up when I saw it at the used bookstore! And I did enjoy my time spent with Anne and Ben. But fyi, the majority of the book is lots of details about college admissions and what students (as well as parents, teachers, and guidance counselors!) have to go through as they try to pick and choose what schools to apply to. The love story really takes a back seat during most of the story. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing! It was an enjoyable read and Anne's adventures with her students and parents can be either nightmarish or amusing, depending on the parent or guardian involved. So all in all, I'm glad I read it.

Courting Magic - I've been hearing great things about the Kat, Incorrigible series for quite some time now and just hadn't gotten around to reading them yet. So when I saw this novella was available, I decided it was perfect to give me a taste of Ms. Burgis' writing and to see if I'd want to read more of the series. And I do! Because this story was SO much fun! Now I want more details on what's happened in Kat's younger years, so you can bet I'm planning to pick up the first three book sometime soon. Read this one for a feisty heroine, mystery and magic, and a sweet romance! :)

Flat-Out Celeste - I read Flat-Out Love a few years ago, and while I wasn't blown away, I did think it was a fun story. So I decided to try a sample of this one on my kindle and Celeste had me at hello! I can see why her family is so protective of her and why they love her so much. Trying to make your way through your teenage years when you're just a little different than everyone else is never an easy thing to do. And Celeste has much to learn. Then Justin enters the picture. He's as quirky as Celeste and they simply get one another. They like each other just as they are, none of this trying to change each other stuff. They're so good for each other! Definitely a fun romance.

The Headmistress of Rosemere - SO wonderful! For some reason, I had been hesitant to read this one. But that was silly, because it's perfectly delightful! ;) I'm happy to say some of the things that bothered me about The Heiress of Winterwood were not present here at all. And Ms. Ladd's writing has only gotten better. Switching between Patience's POV and William's, we get to watch the mysteries unfold alongside them. And we get to watch them fall in love! But it's not just a straight-up romance, which is great. There's so much going on and the answers are strung out so we're waiting with baited breath for what will be discovered next! Ms. Ladd is a fabulous storyteller and I'm so glad I gave this one a chance. (Thanks to my local library. :) I'll certainly be adding this one to my own bookshelf soon!

August 26, 2014

Every book blogger and their friend seems to join in the Top Ten Tuesdays over at The Broke and the Bookish (and why not when they're so much fun?). I actually contemplated joining in myself this week, but I couldn't get enthused for the topic. Then I remembered that Misty at The Book Rat has been hosting an Austen in August extravaganza and decided that listing my favorite Austen sequels could be fun. I felt some actual enthusiasm for that topic, hence this post.

So! Here are my Top Ten Favorite Jane Austen Sequels/Retellings:

10 - Pies and Prejudice by Heather Vogel Frederick - It's simply too cute! It's not really an extremely faithful retelling, but it's fun regardless. And one I can recommend to younger teens.

9 - Attempting Elizabeth by Jessica Grey - Who wouldn't want to be able to literally jump inside one of Austen's characters? At least once? To be able to actually meet Captain Wentworth.....*sigh* ;)

8 - The Second Mrs. Darcy by Elizabeth Aston - This one isn't a straight retelling or sequel exactly. It's about Mr. Darcy's extended family. And it's wonderful!

7 - Drive and Determination by Kara Louise - One of the first modern retellings that I ever read, it's still a favorite. Plus the author has an awesome name, don't you think? ;)

5 - Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman series by Pamela Aiden - Yes, technically this is three books. But if you've ever wanted an indepth look into the workings of Mr. Darcy's brain, this is the series for you!

4 - The Pursuit of Mary Bennett by Pamela Mingle - I have been searching for a sequel that would do Mary justice. I always wanted some redemption for her. Having attempted several stories about her, this is the first that I read completely through and really enjoyed!

3 - Captain Wentworth's Diary - by Amanda Grange - As Persuasion is my favorite Austen story, of course I love to read more about Captain Wentworth! Ms. Grange gave me just what I wanted. :D

2 - For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund - Amazing! I'm still blown away by this retelling. Ms. Peterfreund's reimagined scifi world is so well described. I can't count the many times I've reread this book. Highly recommended to everyone!

1 - Sanditon by Jane Austen and "Another Lady" - The first eleven chapters are written by Ms. Austen herself and the transition between writers is very smooth. This remains my absolute favorite sequel to date. Countless rereads of it as well as bent pages will testify to that! ;) Whether the second author takes the story where Austen wanted it to go we will never know. But as for me, I think it's wonderfully written!

So there you have it! Mind you, as much as I love Jane Austen stories, I haven't actually read tons of them. But I sure do enjoy them. Do you have a favorite?

August 25, 2014

Firstly, many thanks to Amber for the title idea as well as the topic (and for recommending some great songs!), she wrote a post a while back about discovering a new-to-her musical group. As someone who has loved music my entire life, I thought today might be a great day to talk about it! :)

For as long as I can remember, music and song has been a part of my life. My mother tells me that when I was very young, I would be around older people who were singing a song and within the next few days after that, she would hear me singing that same song by heart. So clearly music has a bigger impact on my heart than even I might realize! ;) I've always enjoyed it, but it's not been until the last few years that I realized exactly how much it encouraged and inspired me.

I noticed how a song could uplift me when I was feeling down. How it could express my happiness when I was feeling ecstatic. How it could affect my emotions in general.

I think that's probably what happens to a lot of people. Music and emotions go hand in hand. Isn't that how songs get written? How many times have I read an article about a songwriter that said something along the lines of "I wrote this song when such and such happened to me and while dealing with the emotions of it, the lyrics just wrote themselves."

August 23, 2014

I think I might be a bit crazy? .................or passionate! Let's go with passionate.

Okay so, I went shopping with friends today. (Well. Technically they were taking me out to lunch for my birthday, but we went shopping too. Anyway!) We somehow kept ending up on the aisles with all the journals, in every single store we went in. Do you like journals? I like journals. I LOVE journals actually. As stated above, I might be slightly....passionate about journals.

"How so?" you may ask? Because I have at least 20 at home and I bought another one! Yep. I should know better than to even look at that aisle. I should walk quickly by it and avert my eyes. But....today I didn't. (Oh who am I kidding? I never do that.)

So I brought it home and added it to the pile. Then I took another look at the pile and realized something..........I don't write in journals all the time.

I'm actually pretty sporadic with writing in them! So why exactly do I need to have so many? Why do I continue to buy them? Excellent questions! And as soon as I know the answer to that, I'll let you know.

I mean, besides the obvious reasons of "because they're cute" and "because they're college ruled". (I love college-ruled. Down with wide-ruled! Unless you love wide-ruled. In which case completely ignore that last exclamation.)

Therefore, the next time you're feeling a bit silly for all the things you may collect (whatever it may be), picture me surrounded by empty journal after empty journal and I guarantee you'll feel better about yourself! ;)

﻿

The above bookmark was one of the gifts I got. Isn't it lovely? Tea and books = fabulous combination.

Hope your Sunday is lovely. I'm off canoeing down the river! Probably in the pouring rain. Didn't I say I think I might be crazy? ;)

August 22, 2014

I was chatting with Rissi recently, over at her blog, and during the convo my mind started whirring. We were talking about books that we thought we wanted to read once upon a time and now we don't. Somewhere in there I mentioned that I think reading should be pleasurable. Meaning that if you don't want to read a book, then don't! (I know. Totally new concept, right? ;) And that started me thinking about the how's and why's and wherefore's of pleasure reading. I then proceeded to bombard Rissi's comment section with lengthy paragraphs. As I didn't want to keep pestering her, y'all get to read my thought processes instead! (I just know how much you love when I blather on about some topic or other.)

Anyway!

The paragraph that started it is as follows: "That's one thing I find so fascinating about stories. Certain ones we seem to enjoy better at certain times of our lives. Kind of like how friendships come and go, so do stories. There's a quote I read once that says something about how stories we liked when we were a child we will enjoy as an adult or something like that. What I mean is, we read a book and love it now, in a few years we may look at it and wonder why we liked it. Vice versa we might have one we can't finish now, yet in a few years it turns out to be the perfect story for then. Perhaps there are things in our lives that we relate to more at a given moment than we do at another, based on our life experiences. Whatever makes the difference it's fascinating to think about."

As I've thought about it more, I think I was on to something. What we've experienced in life makes a difference to how we relate or not relate to a story. Now I'm sure there are plenty of exceptions to this. That's a pretty broad generalization, I realize. Yet it has some merit, don't you think? Perhaps because of my mother's illness (which she was diagnosed with when I was very young), I have always been drawn to stories that dealt with serious illness, whether a teenager or an adult. Beginning with Lurlene McDaniel's books from the 90's to stories like Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt and many others today. Especially when it's a child learning how to handle a parent's illness.

Likewise, this theory may be why I still enjoy reading YA. As an adult, I can look back at those years in my life and remember going through the same emotions of confusion and happiness and just so much energy. In other words, I can relate to the characters.

Now granted, I don't always relate to every single character I enjoy reading about. But it certainly does help! :)

The other fascinating thing I mentioned above is about how we change. I've realized that it's a good thing for me to take the time every so often and go through all my books, weeding out the ones that I no longer desire to read. And sometimes those books were ones I reread and reread once upon a time! But no longer is this the case. Somewhere along the way I changed, and what once gripped my attention now does not. Take the Lurlene McDaniel books that I loved and reread over and over when I was younger, now I can't make myself even pick one up. I do have several still on my shelf out of nostalgia, but I haven't read one in years. Even as much as I love YA nowadays. So obviously those stories were something I connected with then, but no longer.

Likewise, what does not grip me today may be just what I'll connect with in a few years. It's funny how that happens actually. There have been many moments where I've seen a book when it's first published and never had a desire to read it, but later something makes me go back to it and I try it and love it! One example of this is Just As I Am by Virginia Smith. Mayla is a character that I do not relate with at all really. Her life is vastly different than anything I've ever experienced. And just going by the synopsis on the back, I was not intrigued enough to try it. But then Sincerely Mayla came out and something about it struck me. Enough to convince me to go back to the first one. And guess what? Yep, I really, really liked it after all! :)

Of course, lots of other things go into the reasons why we like this story and not that one. Sometimes I simply need to shut my mind off and read for entertainment purposes only! And as I mentioned, there's definitely a place for nostalgia about stories we remember loving when we were younger. (This is also why I have a few Lori Wick books still on my shelf even though I cannot stomach reading any of her more recent ones.) (And if you're a Lori Wick fan, I do apologize. I just simply cannot enjoy her books anymore. I hope you'll still like me anyway? :)

I began to realize how important it was to be an enthusiast in life...if you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it at full speed ahead. Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it, and above all become passionate about it. Lukewarm is no good. Hot is no good either. White hot and passionate is the only thing to be.

~ Roald Dahl

I knew I liked him. Now I'm convinced I need to read one of his books! ;)

August 14, 2014

After reading rave review after rave review of this author, my interest was piqued to say the least. And I am quite happy to say that all the acclamation is well deserved! This being only her second published novel, Ms. Benton is most certainly an incredible writer. Her words flow so well that you forget you're reading a story and instead feel swept away into Tamsen's life. As if she's real and all the excitement happening around her is actually happening to you! I love when an author can do that for me. Where I actually have to acclimate back to real life once the story is over. :)

We get dropped into Tamsen and Jesse's lives at crucial moments for the two. Their lives are changing and neither has any clue of this until we do as well. I so enjoy stories where we figure things out along with the characters. It makes the mysteries more mysterious and tension-filled, the romance more sweet and sigh-worthy, and the journey so much more adventurous and fun!

Thrown together unexpectedly, these two have to fight the elements (of which Tamsen has had little to no experience dealing with) as well as a developing attraction. And they live in a period of history where the US and much of its citizens are moving, fighting, settling, and all about change. Unrest is everywhere, yet peace is there too. And searching for and finding their piece of it is wonderful to watch. Tamsen herself is struggling to find out exactly who she is. Literally, as her mother kept many secrets from her.

With a slow-developing romance that will make you smile, as well as adventure and another clue always just around the next corner, this is a story you don't want to miss! Tamsen and Jesse's journey is bittersweet at moments, yet filled with heart and sweetness at the same time. It will sweep you up and deposit you on the other side of such beautiful moments that will make you want to immediately skim back over certain passages again. Having heard this compared to Laura Frantz's Courting Morrow Little, I have to agree. Fans of Ms. Frantz or historical fiction will enjoy this wonderful story.

Jesse had dropped both horses' reins to gape. "Did you...? Have you ever...?"Cade fetched the reins and looked down his long nose, taking full advantage of the inch of height he had on Jesse. "Did I? Have I? All that book learning I got you, and you can't find a single word to describe a chit of a girl?""A chit of a...? Did you see her?""I saw a fancy gown, a pretty face. What'd you see?" Cade's eyes danced with amusement. "Give me words, boy. Or did she knock 'em clean out of your head?"She doth teach the torches to burn bright.Not a chance he'd stitched such words together of his own wits. He must have read them somewhere. But if he spouted them now, Cade would think him addled, right enough. What, then, could he say? He'd read himself a heap of books, and the Good Book twice through, but heaven help him could he call to mind another phrase better fitting what he'd just seen.

August 11, 2014

Who reads two murder mysteries late at night? Me. Yes, I would not recommend it. Especially this one. Read it during the day. Because creepy houses? Feel even creepier when you're reading about them at 2am. But at 2pm or any other time while it's daylight outside, you shouldn't hesitate to pick this one up! ;)

For some reason, I'd had this one on my kindle for several weeks and hadn't read it. But once I did, it kept me hooked in and refused to let me put it down and go to sleep. It's really that good! Once again, Ms. Barritt's characters are fabulous. Full of quirks and fears and thoughts, each one feels so real. And even the side characters are fun! Candy is awesome. Cooper is sigh-worthy. And Tara? She's learning all about who she really is, about getting rid of the fake shell she's always shown the world and finding her true self hidden inside. And her butterfly moments are sweet and worth waiting for.

Of course the cute romance won me over. It's subtle and slow, which is exactly what Tara needs. And oh those moments it shows up are pretty great! But the true momentum of the story is really Tara's journey. Watching her grow more solid in who she is and what she believes is wonderful. As well as her realizations that those fears and doubts are okay. That they're normal and they push us to seek truth.

The sweet and fun moments do happen in amongst the seriousness of "haunted" houses and tarnished reputations! Ms. Barritt absolutely knows how to keep you turning pages and laughing even amidst the tension. So if you want a page-turning, laughter-inducing, edge-of-your-seat story, I highly recommend trying this one. It's fabulous! :)

Now, I have my own sayings. One is that life is like a beautiful apple. Sometimes you don't know it's rotten until you bite into it. Other days, I thought life was like the solid wood coffee table that my uncle fell on--revealing it was actually made of particleboard, thus my saying, "You never know what you're made of until you're broken."

August 10, 2014

Listening to:Cress by Marissa Meyer. The narrator of this series of audiobooks, Rebecca Soler, is simply fabulous! She does all the different voices so well. And I've been waiting to read this book for ages. I've no one to blame but myself....I actually bought the ebook a few months ago and never read it. Have you ever had that happen? Where you're SO excited for a book, yet you can't make yourself read it because you're worried it won't meet your anticipated happiness? I don't know what I was worried about. Ms. Meyer has yet to disappoint me! (Except for the time when she announced that I have another whole year before Winter comes out....*sadface*)

Reading:Flat-Out Celeste by Jessica Park. I remember enjoying Flat-Out Love a few years ago and something about Celeste intrigued me...

Watching: Psych, season eight. I recently saw a few pictures via Pinterest and it reminded me that I needed to catch up with this series. It's just so much fun!

Enjoying: A day spent with my nephew. I took him out for his birthday and since he loves to read as much as I, of course we stopped by a bookstore where we rambled for a good hour or more. After a fabulous lunch, we then proceeded to spend the afternoon quietly reading together, he with his book and me with mine. Is there anything better than enjoying something you love with someone you love? ::happiness::

Feeling: Happy! A rainy weekend (I love the rain) combined with a day with my awesome nephew and seeing a dear friend's precious baby boy wearing the outfit I gave him. ::happiness times two::

Craving: Brownies with raspberry chips. I made some last night and mmmmmmmmm. Yummo!Loving: Catching up with dear friends. It's been a few weeks since we last spent time together and that's way too long! I relish the laughter that inevitably follows us around. :DAnticipating: My birthday. It's arriving soon and I admit that I'm still a kid at heart and look forward to my birthday every year. Mind you, I don't much look forward to getting older, but the actual day I like! :)

Celebrating: The joy to be found in life! Even on the hard days, hope is still there. The little bits of happy I find, the little bits of brave, life is definitely to be celebrated.

August 7, 2014

Having read Ms. Barritt's Squeaky Clean series, I knew I would be in for a fun ride with this one. The funny thing about it is that I don't usually enjoy reading mysteries. But somewhere along the way, I tried Hazardous Duty and was hooked! Somehow, Ms. Barritt has the skill to write fantastic characters that make me invested in their lives and waiting with baited breath for how they'll keep from getting killed. Because yes, this is a murder mystery (in case the title didn't give it away ;). I mean, I'm a girl who loves cute romances, not really a murder mystery type.

But wait, she includes the cute romance part too! Watching these two get closer while juggling secrets and a few white lies, oh and a murder or five, is so much fun! (I know. Fun and murder don't really seem like they're compatible. Yet they are. Trust me.) I just love being inside Holly's head. She's hilarious! I don't know how many times I laughed while reading this, but too many to count. And Chase? His history with Holly, along with simply liking her for who she is and teasing her a lot, combine with his personal struggles and genuine nice-guy-ness to make a great guy. I could watch their interactions all day. They're fantastic together.

As I said, the characters are where Ms. Barritt excels. And where she keeps me coming back to her stories. Because just writing a murder mystery is not going to draw me in. At all. But blend a cute romance, a heroine with a good heart who's struggling with a major life-changing circumstance, a hero who's made some bad choices in the past and is trying to rise above them, along with a mysterious killer who won't let Holly forget he/she is around, and you have a fun, tension-filled ride! And it's only book one. So you know more fun will follow! :)

My heart slammed at a quick beat into my chest, each thump reverberating all the way down to my bones. I pinched the skin between my eyebrows as I tried to rationalize my actions. This wasn't just a haphazard stranger's home. And I wasn't breaking in for nefarious reasons. That was the good news.The bad news had generated my new life mantra: engaging in random acts of kindness whenever possible. And not just any ordinary random act of kindness. Extreme random acts of kindness. Life was too short to do anything halfheartedly, after all.

August 4, 2014

Author you've read the most books from: Oh goodness. I have absolutely no idea. *goes to Goodreads to count* Turns out it's Erynn Mangum!

Best sequel ever: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer - I loved it so much more than Cinder (and it was fabulous itself)!

Currently reading: Is It Just Me? by Miranda Hart, The Pursuit of Tamsin Littlejohn by Lori Benton

Drink of choice while reading: Tea or Dr Pepper

E-reader or physical book: Both! A bigger fan of physical books, however I cannot tell a lie, I love my ereader a great deal.

Fictional character you probably would have actually dated in high school? Um, as I never dated in high school....I have no idea?

Glad you gave this book a chance: It Happened At the Fair by Deeann Gist - I'd tried her other books and hadn't been able to finish one. Until this one. I couldn't put it down until the very last page!

Hidden gem book: My Heart Came Away Red by Lisa McKay - Hardly anyone I know has even heard of this book! And it's one of my absolute favorites. I don't even remember how I stumbled across it a few years ago.

I (There's not a question for this letter??)

Just finished: The Good Girl by Christy Barritt

Kind of books you won't read: Horror

Longest book you've read: ?????

Major book hangover because of: Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Number of bookcases you own: 3 and I could use more. Also! I have lots of books stacked on non-bookcase pieces of furniture.

One book you read multiple times: Court Duel by Sherwood Smith

Preferred place to read: In bed or my favorite chair

Quote you like from a book you read: "There comes a time when the world gets quiet and the only thing left is your own heart. So you'd better learn the sound of it. Otherwise you'll never understand what it's saying." Sarah Dessen, The Truth About Forever

Reading regret: Not enough time to read as much as I'd like!

Series you started and need to finish: The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer - Because they haven't all been published and I need them to be! Like NOW.

Three of your all time favorite books: My Hands Came Away Red by Lisa McKay, Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge, The Colonel's Lady by Laura Frantz (and many, many, many, many more.)

Very excited for this release more than all the others: Winter by Marissa Meyer (Although there are plenty of others I'm just as excited about!)

Worst bookish habit: Reading the last few pages of a book before I've read the middle. (I know! Nobody understands why I do this.)

X marks the spot: I do use bookmarks. But also whatever may be handy. As in, bits of paper, tissues, other books, etc.

Your latest book purchase: A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar by Suzanne Joinson

Zzzz snatcher book: Random Acts of Murder by Christy Barritt (My advice: Do not read murder mysteries late at night, but do read this book sometime during the day. It's great!) I really need to get my review written...

PS. I saw this over at Bluerose's and decided to join in. You should too! :)

August 2, 2014

Hamlette nominated me for the Sunshine Award a couple weeks ago. (By the by, you should totally check out her both of her blogs! Here's one and here's another. Her posts are always fun! Plus she has a book giveaway going on right now! So click on over there. :) Thanks Hamlette! Here are my answers:

What is the next book you plan to read?

You know what? I have absolutely no idea. More recently, I've been picking by whatever sounds good at the moment. And since my to-read pile (both real books on my shelf and ebooks on my kindle) is HUGE, I have many to choose from! So we'll see what strikes my fancy.

Have you ever seen the same movie in the theater more than once?

Nope. Can't say I have. But if you want to know if I rewatch dvd's on the other hand......yes! Multiple rewatch's happen (especially if it's North and South....*happy sigh* ;).

Do you prefer pirates or cowboys?

Definitely prefer watching and reading about pirates! Although cowboys certainly have their moments. I'm becoming a bigger fan of John Wayne the more of his movies I see (which I should clarify hasn't been that many, but goodness is he fun to watch!). But if we're talking real life pirates or cowboys, then I'd absolutely have to go with cowboys. Real life pirates wouldn't be nearly as cool as their fictional counterparts I imagine.

Have you ever been to an ocean?

Yes! As I grew up on the East Coast, I have been to the Atlantic multiple times. And after having lived on the West Coast for several years, I have been to the Pacific multiple times as well. Oh! And I have visited the Gulf Coast once, on a trip a few years ago.

You're casting a new movie version of your favorite book. Who are your top choices for the leads?

Oh boy! This will require a bit of thought. Hmmmmm.

How about casting for Persuasion by Jane Austen. Maybe Richard Armitage as Captain Wentworth (I mean, I'd love to watch this guy in another period drama!) and Emily Blunt as Anne Elliot? Emily did great in The Young Victoria.

I don't know. I'm no good at picking people for this sort of thing! But I would definitely love to watch Richard in another period drama. Without question! Plus, I just love having a reason to attach a pretty picture of him to this post. :D

So! There you have it. That was fun! :) Now, I know I'm supposed to nominate other bloggers and give them questions, but.....I'd just rather leave it open. Anybody anywhere is welcome to join in! And you can use the same questions as above. (I know. How boring.)

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"But Hadley understood. It wasn't that she was meant to read them all. Maybe someday she would, but for now, it was more the gesture itself. He was giving her the most important thing he could, the only way he knew how. He was a professor, a lover of stories, and he was building her a library in the same way other men might build their daughters houses."— Jennifer E. Smith